A Love Not Forgotten
by Rage42
Summary: They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then... an entire life to forget them. DM/HG
1. The Past

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Author's Note: Hello there, people! It's me again! I just got inspiration to write another fanfic... and here it is! I hope you all like it!

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DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters and some parts of the plot… I only own a small bit of this story…

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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Chapter One: _The Past_

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Two young adolescents stood together in a secluded glade. One was a young beautiful lady, who had golden brown curls cascading gently on her shoulders and eyes that were the color of chocolate. The other, meanwhile, was a handsome young man blessed with sun-kissed golden hair and deep gray eyes. 

It was midnight, and a cold wind rushed past them. The girl snuggled closer to the boy, and the boy put his arm around her. "This is the last time?" the girl whispered, looking up at the boy.

He nodded and smiled sadly. "I'll miss you," he said quietly, as he played with her hair.

The girl buried her face in his chest. "I'll be there tomorrow." She looked up at him and he tightened his embrace.

"Don't." 

"Why not?"

The boy stared at her, his eyes showing sadness. "You'll just get hurt." He looked away.

No one talked and another gust of wind swept past the two. The girl took the boy's hand and held it tightly. The boy didn't pull it away, and finally, after moments of silence, he took out something from his pocket.

The girl sat up straight and looked at him curiously. "Something wrong?" she asked. 

The boy smiled sweetly in reply and took her hand. "I just wanted to give you something." He put his hand over hers, and the girl felt something hard and smooth. 

She looked down at her palm and gasped. She glanced back at the boy, shock and joy evident in her expression. "It—it's—" 

It was a silver ring, and a small sapphire stud was placed upon it. There was absolutely no word for it… it was simply beautiful and breathtaking. 

"It was supposed to be the wedding ring for tomorrow, but—" The boy paused and looked away. "I just couldn't give it to her. She doesn't deserve it."

"Why…?"

"Because I don't love her." The boy looked at her with love and picked up the ring. "I love you." 

The girl stared at him. Her eyes were brimming with tears and all she could do was smile. The boy smiled back and cupped her cheek. 

__

"I love you," he repeated and finally, he leaned in and kissed her.

****

The girl stood in the very back of the church. The day she dreaded most had arrived, and though _he_ had told her not to come, she had. The man she loved the most was going to marry another and her heart was torn to pieces. 

"Speak now, or forever hold their peace." The priest's voice echoed in the hall, and the girl looked up. 

She stared at the boy, and found that he, as well, was staring back at her. _Speak,_ his eyes seemed to say, _speak! I beg of you! _

She opened her mouth and tried to shout. However, no words came out.

"We shall proceed then."

The girl gasped and the boy did so as well albeit silently. 

"Do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?" asked the priest to the bribe. 

"I do," she replied, smiling sweetly. 

"And do you—" The priest now turned to the boy. "take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?" 

The girl now had tears streaming down her face and she covered her mouth. She looked away and sobbed quietly. 

The boy, meanwhile, had not given his answer. He bit his lip and glanced back at the now crying girl. How he wished he could rush to her side and comfort her… 

"My son, do you or do you not?" The priest put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Please give your answer."

The boy turned sharply to him and bit his lip. "I—I—" He looked at the girl in front of him and looked at the girl in the back. 

"Well?"

"I—I—" He had made up his mind. "I…don't."

Everyone present gasped. The girl looked up, her mouth agape. The bride stared at the boy. "W-what are you doing??" she hissed. 

"What in Merlin's beard are _you_ doing, boy??" The boy's father now stepped in front. 

"Look, father! I don't love her!" the boy exclaimed. "You _know_ I love someone _else_!"

Everyone gasped once again. His father had a deadly expression on his face and he glared at him. "Marry this woman here," he said threateningly, "or the one you love dies."

The boy's eyes widened, and he stared at his father. "You can't do that, father…"

His lip curved into a sickening smile. "I know she's here." He took out his wand and pointed it to the crowd. _"Aparo Femme!"_

Instantly, a petite body rose from the ground. The boy gasped, realizing that it was the girl. She was sobbing, and she cringed every other time. "Leave her alone, father!" He knew that she was in pain. "She has nothing to do with this!"

"She will die, boy," the father said quietly, his wand still pointing at the girl. "Unless you marry the girl in front of you."

"No."

"Suit yourself." 

The boy's father raised his wand and pointed it at the girl. "Say goodbye."

The boy knew what his father was going to do. "DON'T!!"

But it was too late. His father had already cast the spell. _"Avada Kedavra!_" 

A jet of green light emitted from his wand and hit the floating figure. The girl shook severely, and in seconds, she had fallen. Unmoving. Unconcious. 

Dead.

"HERMIONE!" Tears sprung from the boy's eyes as he rushed to her side. Everyone moved aside and some had gasped. He hugged the girl tightly, carefully cradling her as he cried. 

"That's what you get for loving a Muggle." The boy's father stared at him with obvious disgust. "I hope that teaches you a lesson, Draco."

With that, he left the church, his black cloak swishing from side to side. The boy was left there, sitting down on the floor, still holding the girl ever so tightly. He held her clammy hand and clutched it. The ring he had given her was on her finger, and when he had seen it, he cried even more. 

"We'll be together someday…" He took out his wand and pointed it at his chest. "We'll be together…" He closed his eyes, and smiled. _"Avada Kedavra._"

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Their love did not die with them. A hundred years passed, and the love had still somewhat survived…

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Author's Note: So… how did you like it? I would like to know through your reviews…

Just to let you know, unless it's not really obvious, this is **not** the last chapter. This is somewhat like a prologue and I really worked hard on it. I just got the idea like days ago… 

Anyway, I know that it's like _Romeo and Juliet_, but I promise… it won't be.

Anyway, **REVIEW**!!!


	2. Flashback

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A/N: Hey! Thanks to those who've reviewed!

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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Chapter Two: _Flashback_

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Summer was nearly ending. Day by day the wind got colder and colder, and fall was slowly approaching. Draco Malfoy sat alone in the gloomy library, skimming through a dusty old book. His parents were out and he was the only one in the Manor aside from the house elves. 

It was almost three in the afternoon and the young man was bored. He had already had his afternoon tea and he didn't feel like riding his Nimbus 2001 today. He considered spending the whole afternoon at Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, but his father forbid him to leave the house. Fearful of what the consequences might be if he didn't obey, he stayed put and followed his father. 

There was absolutely nothing to do inside the Manor. Draco had read almost every single book in the library and he most certainly ate too much food already. If he wasn't careful, he would turn into a very fat bookworm. 

So, Draco walked around the house, opening every single door. He went to the basement, the garden, the kitchen, the front yard, the master's bedroom, his bedroom, the bathroom, the library… and yet, he still was bored. "Stupid day," he muttered under his breath. 

He was already on the very top floor and he was walking through the very last hall of the Manor. There were only three doors in the hall and Draco had walked inside the first two doors, meaning, one door was left. 

"Well, here goes." Draco reached for the knob, turned it and opened the door slowly. A staircase going up was revealed and Draco squinted his eyes. It was dark and quite chilly inside and Draco took out his wand. _"Lumos,_" he muttered, and instantly, the tip of his wand was lit. 

Draco took a deep breath and climbed up the stairs. _Why haven't I ever been in this room?_ He wondered, looking around. He finally reached the top of the stairs and he coughed. 

"What the—" He looked around the small room. Old useless things and antiques were placed everywhere and everything was covered with a thick coat of dust. Tons of boxes were overflowing with stuff and Draco made a face. "So _this_ is our attic," he said to himself, kneeling beside one of the boxes. He opened it and coughed once again. Once the dust was cleared, he leaned to get a closer look. "Wow…" 

Inside the box were old clothes that looked like they were from the 18th century, some books, parchment, old antiques, and a lot of other things. Draco took out everything and snorted. "They're like from the theatre," he laughed.

~

Hours passed and Draco opened each and every box. Finally, he had reached the very last one. He had noticed that it was the lightest and the smallest, and it was the only one tied with thick string. "What's this?" Draco picked it up and untied it. The string fell to the floor and Draco opened the package.

Inside were several letters. Draco took one and read it. 

__

To my dearest Draco—Draco gasped. "What?" He read the greeting once again and saw his name written neatly on the parchment. He shook his head. "Just a coincidence, that's all."

He continued.

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To my dearest Draco,

When was the last time since I've seen thee? Ah—yes. Just last night. I cannot believe that I miss thee already! Is that how much I love thee? Do thou lovest me too? Of course. I should not doubt my love. 

When shall I meet thee? Tonight again? Let me know immediately.

I love you.

No name was written at the bottom. Draco blinked and reread the letter. A question was forming in his head. _Was this letter meant for him? _It felt very familiar…

"Master Draco?"

His thoughts were raided. He turned around and there stood one of their house elves. "What is it?" he asked, pocketing all the letters. 

"Supper is ready, Master Draco." 

"Oh." Draco nodded. "I'll be down there in a minute."

The house elf bowed and disappeared. Draco looked around for one last time and finally proceeded downstairs.

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"Hermione dear?" 

Hermione looked up from her book and saw her mother standing in the doorway. "Yes, mum?" she said politely. 

"I want to give you something." Her mother sat down beside her and smiled. 

"What is it?" Hermione asked curiously.

The older woman reached for something in her pocket. It was a small box and she handed it to Hermione. "Open it," she said quietly. 

Hermione nodded and opened it carefully. When she saw what was inside, she gasped. "Mother…" She was speechless.

It was a silver ring, with a sapphire stud. It was simply beautiful. "Why are you giving it to me?" she asked hoarsely, still amazed. 

"It's a family heirloom, dear." Her mother explained, as Hermione put on the ring. "We give it to every girl in the family when they're sixteen."

"But I'm only fifteen."

"But you're turning sixteen in September, aren't you?"

Hermione nodded. She looked at the ring and smiled. "Thank you, mum."

Her mother smiled back and kissed her on the forehead. "Now, dinner will be ready in a few minutes, 'kay?" 

Hermione nodded. Her mother smiled and finally left the room. When she was alone, Hermione sighed and stared at the ring. It was simple, beautiful, elegant… and…

Familiar?

She felt like she had seen this ring before and she somehow felt like it was already hers before. "Strange…" she thought. However, she brushed the thought away when her mother called her name.

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Author's Note: How'd you like it? Good? Bad?

Good, bad. Bad, good.

Rude, nice. Nice, rude. 

All I ask is you review

Give me one, or maybe two

What matters to me is your review

And if you do, I will thank you. 

I will appreciate it very much

Even if you're a British Dutch (?)

So review several times

And if you do, I'll give you dimes.

He he… hope you liked that poem! Hard to make, I must say…

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REVIEW!


	3. Familiar All Of A Sudden

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Author's Note: Hello there! I'm sorry I haven't updated any of my stories last weekend. We just came from the beach, that's why…

Anyway, thanks to all those who have when I was away! As a thank you, here's chapter three!

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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CHAPTER THREE: _FAMILIAR ALL OF A SUDDEN_

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September first had already come. Students filed in Platform Nine and Three Quarters and parents bid their children goodbye. At exactly eleven o'clock, the Hogwarts Express departed from King's Cross Station and headed off to Hogwarts.

Hermione had already met up with her two best friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Ron had obviously grown much taller over the summer, and Harry had had a tan. Usually, she would have joined them in the same compartment, but since she was made a prefect this year, she was supposed to be in the prefects' compartment. 

"You're going to the prefect's compartment?" Ron asked. "But _why?_"

"Obviously, _I'm_ a prefect." Hermione showed them her new badge. _"That's_ why."

"From what I've heard, it's really boring there," Harry said, unwrapping a Chocolate Frog. Ron nodded along and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Please, you two!" She opened the door and looked at them. "I'm just going to be gone for a few hours! We'll be able to see each other in the castle, okay?" 

"Okay." The two replied glumly. 

Hermione smiled. _They're like children_, she thought, closing the door behind her. "Oh, well." She stood confidently and proceeded to the prefect's compartment.

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"Er…" Hermione had opened the door to the prefects' compartment. Inside were three other students from the other Houses. One was a Hufflepuff girl with thick glasses and really frizzy hair, the other was a handsome Ravenclaw boy, and finally, the last one was a blonde boy obviously from Slytherin. 

All three looked at her. She looked at each of them shyly for at least a second. "Hi there," she started. "Hello. How do you—"

She stopped. She was staring back at the Slytherin boy. "_You??" _

It was Draco Malfoy. 

He was staring back at her. "Tch." He made an indignant sound and looked back down at the parchments he was holding. Hermione rolled her eyes and sat down beside him.

She sighed. Harry was right. It _was_ boring here. Even Malfoy was keeping quiet! _I should've stayed in the other compartment,_ she thought, looking around. The other girl was eating quite noisily and the boy was already dozing off. Malfoy meanwhile was just reading. 

"You're awfully silent," she muttered to him, taking out her book. 

He grunted in reply. 

"You're a _prefect_?" 

"Problem?"

"It's just very unlikely."

"And why is that, Miss Know-it-All?"

"You're a git, that's why."

He kept silent. Hermione opened her book and started reading. However, she just couldn't concentrate. It was just _too_ quiet in the small compartment and the small noises the people were doing were annoying. The girl was munching quite noisily, the boy was snoring, and the paper Malfoy was holding kept crumpling. It was driving Hermione crazy.

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A few hours passed. Hermione had already finished her book and she was starting to get bored. The other three were still doing the same things they were doing; the girl hadn't stopped eating, the boy was already drooling, and Malfoy still hadn't finished reading whatever it was he was holding. 

Hermione was already driven insane. "Are you people incapable of making any _noise_??" she exclaimed in frustration, waving her hands impatiently. "Crickets make a whole lot more noise than you!"

"I-is that a problem?" the girl trembled, looking fearfully at her. 

"Don't mind her. She's got problems." 

Hermione turned to Malfoy. "Look _who's_ talking." 

"Whatever, Granger." He stood up, pocketed the parchment and left the compartment. 

Hermione sat back down. The girl had began eating again, and Hermione sighed heavily. Her first day back didn't go so well, and she was getting moody. 

She looked around and spotted a small, faded piece of parchment on the floor. She blinked and picked it up. 

"Is this yours?" Hermione asked the girl. She shook her head in reply.

"Oh." Hermione opened it and looked at what was inside. _What's this?_ She thought, scanning the whole paper. _Wait a minute…_

Something was wrong. She studied the handwriting carefully and found that there was something strange about it. 

"That's not right…" 

Hermione's eyes grew wide. 

__

The handwriting was almost exactly like hers.

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"Prefects!"

The four spun around and came face to face with the Gryffindor Head, Professor McGonagall. She was wearing her usual bottle green robes and black hat. 

"Good evening, professor," they chorused.

"By the end of the Welcoming Feast, you will lead your Houses to your Common Room, clear?" she said imperiously. 

All nodded in reply. 

"Every night, you will patrol all floors of the castle, including the grounds below. You will be partnered up so that it will be a much easier task for the four of you. Now—" she started to pair them off. "Miss Wall and Mr. Flopdeck, and Mr. Malfoy with Miss Granger—"

"What??" Draco and Hermione exclaimed. 

"Is there a problem?"

"Professor, it's just that—"

"You know our history—"

Professor McGonagall held her hand up to silence them. "You will have to put your differences aside then." 

Draco gaped at her. Was she joking? 

"Off you go to the Great Hall. Now, shoo!" 

The other two prefects started walking, but Draco, as well as Hermione, had not. He turned to her. "This is _not_ my day," he muttered. 

"For once, I agree." Hermione turned to face him. She reached inside her pocket and took out a piece of paper. "You forgot something in the train, by the way."

She handed it to him and his heart skipped a beat. _He had left one of the letters!_ He grabbed it and glared at her. "Did you read it?" he asked sharply. 

She jumped. "Er—no." 

Draco pocketed it and looked at her. "Not so nosy, are you?" 

"I guess so." 

"Good. A trait I would never have thought could be found in a Mudblood." He smirked. He turned and started walking away. "See you."

****

Draco opened the letter he had retrieved from Hermione. He was fortunate that she wasn't curious enough to read it, because if she had, he knew that his reputation was ruined. 

However, something was wrong. When he had made eye contact with her, he had seen something different… something that felt unusually familiar. But he didn't know what it was.

He felt himself drown in her brown eyes, and a part of him had wanted to stare at them forever. He couldn't explain why, though…

And an unexpected thought came across his mind. 

For once in his life, he had considered Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor bookworm, very pretty.

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Author's Note: How'd you like it? Tell me please! I need your reviews very badly! Thanks! 

I'm sorry if it's really not well-written! I highly apologize!


	4. A Nighttime Stroll

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Author's Note: Hello there! Thank you all to those who have reviewed! Here's chapter four! Hope you enjoy!

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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CHAPTER FOUR: _A NIGHTTIME STROLL_

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Dusk was already setting. Minute by minute the sky grew darker and stars slowly started emerging. Draco sat alone in the shadows of the Slytherin Common Room, reading one of the letters silently. 

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My dearest Draco,

I miss you already. I long to hold your hand; I have a burning desire to embrace you. I want to feel your love around me, and I want to be beside you. I dream of you nightly, and you are the only thing always present in my mind. When will I be able to see you again?

I love you with my heart and soul.

Draco sighed and fell back on the couch. This was the nth letter he had read, and yet he still wasn't sick of all the fluffiness contained in every single one. Every letter had its own uniqueness, and each one made Draco curious. 

However, the letters made him wonder. They were meant for _Draco_. But he wasn't sure if it was for _him_ or _another_ Draco. 

Now he wondered if there was another Draco in their family. "Was there?" He bit his lip. He couldn't help but regret not looking closely at every family portrait in their Manor. _I just couldn't spare a few minutes to look at them, could I?_ He thought in frustration. 

He shook his head and looked at his watch. It was already ten in the evening, and there were a few students left in the Common Room. Draco stood up, pocketed the letter and clapped his hands.

"Everyone in their dormitories. _Now_." 

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__

A young sixteen- year old girl stood in front of a huge steel gate. Her head was under a hood and she looked unsure. She reached for the bronze bell, but before she could even ring it, she pulled away. 

"I can't do this." She turned around, and started walking away. 

"Where are you going?" A voice spoke from behind. 

The girl turned around and came face to face with a handsome young man. She gasped, and smiled widely. "Draco!" She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. 

The young man smiled gently, and kissed her forehead. "Hermione."

"WHAT??" Draco jolted up. Did he just hear right? Did he have a dream where the name of Mudblood Granger was mentioned? "That was bloody damn scary…"

He lay back down on his bed and clutched his covers. This was the effect of reading love letters, he thought, and he felt sick. Draco gulped and turned around. This wasn't right. He was now dreaming of the Gryffindor bookworm! And to him, that was worse than a nightmare… much worse.

"Coincidence," he muttered, relaxing. It was all a coincidence. "It can't be."

He was now relieved. There were thousands of girls named Hermione around the world. It just so happened that he came across to know one of them. 

And he forgot about it. However, he was now thinking about the dream itself. He couldn't help but wonder…

__

Is the dream connected to the letters? He thought. It just made perfect sense… 

Draco shook his head and brushed the thought away. "Impossible." He laughed silently, and in no more than a minute, he fell asleep once again. 

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Hermione walked silently alongside Malfoy. It was eight in the evening, and the two were doing their patrolling. They were now on the fifth floor, particularly in the tenth hall checking every single nook and cranny.

Hermione sighed. The boy beside her was completely silent, which was awfully unusual. Malfoy wasn't throwing insults at her, and he wasn't wearing his usual smirk. He was just staring out into space…

"You're acting weird," she finally said, glancing at him.

He looked back at her. "Why do you say that?" 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Never mind."

There was a moment of silence. _This_ is _awkward,_ she thought irritably. She was tired of the quiet. "Malfoy."

He stopped walking. He turned around and faced her. "What?"

"Why don't we split up?"

"What d'you mean?"

"I check this Hall, and _you_ check the other Hall." She pointed to the corner, and faced him. "Well?"

However, he didn't reply. He was staring at her hand and was gaping at it. 

"Malfoy?"

He grabbed her hand. "What's that?" He asked in a hush. Hermione raised her eyebrow. He was looking down at the ring she had gotten from her mother with some sort of awe and shock.

Hermione pulled her hand away. "Why?" 

Malfoy blinked. He stepped back and shook his head. "Nothing, I'm sorry." He took another step back and walked away.

Hermione stared at his retreating figure. He was _really_ acting weird. 

He wasn't himself.

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a/n: Hello there! Hope you liked the chapter… it isn't my very best, though and I apologize for that. He he… But I do hope you all review! THANKS!


	5. Don't Leave Me

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey there! Thank you to all those who reviewed! All your comments/suggestions/opinions were very much appreciated! I do hope you continue supporting and reading my story!

Oh yes, **some clarifications**: 

The Hermione and Draco in the first chapter were totally different people who just happened to be named after our favorite couple. As I've written, the Hermione there is a **Muggle**. She is absolutely magic-free. 

In this story, our two favorite characters are reincarnations of two people who lived in the past and loved each other very much. That explains why Draco suddenly feels a connection to the letters, thinks for the first time that Hermione's beautiful and recognizes the silver ring. 

Hermione on the other hand, when she picked up the letter and read it, she recognized the handwriting.

So there. I hope you understand it!

Anyway, here's chapter five!

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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CHAPTER FIVE

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Draco buried his face in shame and embarrassment. He didn't know what had come over him and why he had suddenly _grabbed_ Granger's hand. Obviously, he had surprised her, and unbelievably, _himself_ as well. 

It was just that the ring she wore looked extremely familiar. It was as if he knew it ever since and to him, it felt like he was the one who personally _gave_ the ring to Granger. 

"But that's impossible," he muttered, as he walked down to the Slytherin dungeons. Firstly, it was just now that he saw the ring, and second, why would he give such a beautiful thing to a _Mudblood_? 

Draco shook his head. "I must be sleepy already." 

Yes, that was it. He was just drowsy, that's all… and he forgot all about the ring incident. 

However, another thought crossed his mind. The feeling he had gotten when he reached for Granger's hand had come back. Though it was hard for him to admit it, Draco actually liked the feel of her hand; very smooth and slender. 

Draco smacked himself. "What _am_ I thinking??" 

He shook his head in frustration. Before, he considered Granger _very_ pretty, which was very unlikely and it only happened once. He had considered her attractive in the Yule Ball in fourth year, but then, at the same year, he had called her a "beaver". Now, all of a sudden, to his eyes, she was… _beautiful_.

Draco smacked himself once again. "Honestly, Draco Malfoy, are you ill??"

****

"I can't believe you stopped us from finishing our breakfast, Hermione!" Ron pouted. "I didn't even finish my toast!"

Hermione giggled. "Seriously, Ron, is your stomach bottomless or something?" 

Harry snorted at this, and Hermione laughed even more. People around the three heard and laughed, and Ron turned crimson. 

"_Hermione!" _

"Sorry! I'm really—"

The room kept silent. The Slytherins, who had Potions together with the Gryffindors, had already arrived. They glided into the dungeons and glared at the Gryffindors as they passed. Harry and Ron narrowed their eyes and shot dangerous looks at them. 

"Look who just came. That ferret," Ron muttered. 

And indeed, the _ferret_ Draco Malfoy had just entered and confidently stood like some god. The three glared at him. 

"Well, look who it is!" Malfoy walked over to their table. "My favorite people! Pothead, the Weasel, and—"

Hermione stared at him as his gaze shifted to her. "What?" she demanded, as her hands rested on her hips. His eyes traveled to her left hand where she wore her silver ring. 

"Granger." 

Hermione blinked. Miraculously, he had not called her _Mudblood_, or at least, _Miss Know-it-All_. She glanced at her two friends, and both had the same look of surprise. 

Malfoy took one last look at each of them and left their table in peace. 

"What was _that_ all about?" Harry turned to look at Hermione. "He didn't even call you _anything_!" 

Hermione shrugged. "He's getting weirder everyday!" 

The two nodded in agreement. "Yes, that _is_ true." 

At that moment, Snape had entered with his cloak swishing behind him. Everyone quieted down and he finally spoke. 

"Good morning, students," he said in an oily voice.

The class had greeted him back and he continued. "You are all here today to learn how to make the Laughing Solution."

A few people snickered. 

"Though it may sound humorous to some of you, drinking too much of this is lethal. You can actually _die_ laughing." Snape glared at all of them and a sudden hush came over the classroom. Snape smirked. "Now, you will all be making this potion by partners. As usual, no two people from the same House will be paired up."

The whole class groaned. Hermione sighed heavily, knowing that everyone should have expected this. This _was_ Snape's class, after all, and everyone knew that he loved to torture his students, may they come from his House or not. 

She wondered whom she would be partnered up with and wished that it were someone who had brains and common sense, even if they were quite harsh and mean. She pitied the person who would get either Crabbe or Goyle because everyone knew that both were dumber than hippogriffs. 

"I bet fifty Galleons that Snape's going to partner me up with Malfoy," Harry muttered heavily, staring at their teacher. 

"Weasley and Bulstrode!"

Ron stood up and scowled. "Of all the people…" He picked up his things and dragged his feet over to Millicent's table. 

"Potter and Parkinson!"

"At least it's not with the ferret!" Harry grinned slightly and walked away.

Now Hermione was all alone. She looked around her and realized that Snape had partnered a boy with a girl and vice versa. Harry was with pug-faced Pansy, Ron was with Millicent, Parvati was with Blaise, Lavender was with Crabbe, etc. She was one of the remaining people whom Snape hadn't called yet. 

Finally, after five minutes or so, she was up. 

"Malfoy and Granger!"

Hermione groaned and glanced at him. She carried her books and went over to his table. "Just to let you know, even though it's already obvious, _I don't want you as my partner._" She snapped. 

Malfoy smirked. "The feeling's mutual."

"At least you're smart," she murmured, opening her Potions book. 

"Did I hear right? Did you just say I'm _smart?_"

"Unfortunately, _yes_."

"It's a miracle! A _compliment_ from a Gryffindor!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Can we get started now?" She grabbed Malfoy's robes and pulled him close to the book. "You get all the ingredients and I'll prepare the cauldron, got it?" 

Malfoy smirked and proceeded to the student cupboard. Hermione rolled her eyes once again and shook her head. She looked up and sighed. 

"Why are you punishing me?"

****

The first period of Potions finished. However, the second period was still unfortunately the same subject. Hermione and Malfoy had completed two-thirds of the solution and though they were almost done, it took the solution very long to finish. 

"Hippogriff feathers."

"Here."

"Unicorn hair."

"Here."

"Fairy dust."

"Here."

"Thank you."

Hermione took the small bottle and tried pouring it into the cauldron. However, she found that she couldn't. Malfoy was holding her hand. 

"Can I have my hand back?" Hermione turned to him and noticed that he was wearing the same look he had worn two nights before. A look of awe and shock. 

Malfoy snapped back into reality and stared at her. "What?" 

"_What _are you holding?"

Malfoy looked down. Once seeing what he was holding, he turned crimson. "Sorry," he muttered, dropping her hand. He turned away.

Hermione raised her eyebrow. She looked at her ring, and then at Malfoy. A question was ringing in her head.

"Malfoy."

He grunted in reply.

"Why do you keep looking at my ring?" 

No answer came. Hermione called his name once again, only this time it was louder. "Malfoy!"

"Where'd you get that ring?" he asked quietly. He glanced at her and Hermione blinked. 

"Why do you want to know?"

"Honestly speaking, I don't know myself."

Hermione frowned. She stared at him curiously, wondering why he was acting like this. He was being _civil_ to her, which was _highly_ unusual.

"It's a family heirloom," she replied curtly. "Why?"

Malfoy shrugged and turned away. "Nothing."

"Hermione watched him and scratched her head. She wondered what was going on the boy's head; he was unpredictable, and no one ever knew what he was going to do next. He wasn't himself lately; he was quiet most of the time and never called her anything offensive, which was… weird.

__

Had Malfoy changed?

Hermione snorted and turned to the cauldron. 

"Impossible."

****

Rain poured that evening. Dinner had just finished and Hermione headed off to the Entrance Hall, where he was to meet her prefect partner Malfoy. 

Once arriving, she spotted Malfoy leaning on one of the stone pillars with his hands in his pockets. Hermione stopped walking and blushed. From her point of view, the Slytherin boy looked… breathtaking and simply gorgeous.

__

What am I thinking?! Hermione smacked herself mentally as punishment for thinking relatively dirty thoughts. She walked over to him and put on a scowl. 

"Shall we?" 

He nodded. Hermione nodded back and proceeded before him. Malfoy trailed behind her and the two teenagers set off in awkward, uneasy silence.

****

The flame torches flickered as Draco, along with Granger, walked through the third corridor. It was already eleven in the evening, and the two prefects were nearly done with their patrolling. 

The rain had come down a bit harder and lightning appeared every other minute. Granger stopped walking and looked outside the window. She watched as the trees below played with the wind, and both had heard thunder rumble.

Draco watched her as she shivered. 

"You don't like thunderstorms?" he queried, crossing his arms.

Hermione shook her head. 

Draco frowned slightly. He had always liked the rain, and he fancied seeing lightning. He had expected that Hermione wouldn't be afraid of these things, but here she was, trembling like a small child. Draco smiled.

"It's almost midnight, Granger. I'll be going now." He turned around and began walking away. 

Thunder was heard once again and a strong gust of wind swept through the corridor. All the torches flickered once more and died, and shadows emerged. Before Draco could take five steps, the girl behind him grabbed his hand. 

"NO!" 

Draco was pulled closer to Hermione and was taken in her arms. He turned rigid as he felt warmth spread through his veins. He looked down at the petite figure, who held on to him tightly. 

"Granger—"

"_Don't leave me._"

Lightning flashed and rain streamed down to the ground. Hermione tightened her embrace and Draco had no idea what to do.

****

**__**

Author's Note: I do hope you enjoyed this bit! It just came to me days ago and I thought it was a really good idea for the story, but I didn't know where to put it! I hope you understood why Hedrmione did that all of a sudden…

The past Hermione just came alive inside her without her knowing it, and the past Hermione, you know, **longed** for her love, whom you know is Draco…

So, there! I hope you all liked/loved this chapter! I hope it's long enough and I hope it's moving and nice enough for all of you to enjoy!

Thanks a lot!

Please **review**! I do hope I get a lot this time! Thanks!


	6. Friends

**__**

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you all to those who've reviewed! All your opinions/suggestions/flames/comments were all appreciated! As a thank you, here's chapter six!

****

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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CHAPTER SIX: _FRIENDS_

****

Hermione held on tightly to Malfoy, and seemed to not want to let go. There was another clap of thunder, and another gust of cold wind rushed past them. Malfoy was obviously taken aback, for his body seemed to be stiff. 

"Granger—"

"Don't leave me." Hermione said in a timid, vulnerable voice. She tightened her embrace. "Please don't leave me again."

__

Again? Hermione blinked. _Where did that come from? And_ why _am I hugging Malfoy?_

"I—I—" Hermione pulled away and stepped back. "I—I don't know what came over me." She looked up at Malfoy with flushed cheeks and he was simply staring at her. 

"Goodnight Malfoy." Avoiding his gray eyes, Hermione nodded to him and ran away, leaving him alone in the corridor. 

__

Just great, she thought, _Now he's going to tell the whole school that I'm_ in love _with him and all_! She slapped her face mentally. Why had she done that? Why, oh why oh why?

"Sherry Sherbet," she said, upon arriving in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. The painting swung open and Hermione climbed in the hole. She arrived inside the unoccupied Common Room, and fell on the red couch. 

Everything was just getting weirder by the day. Malfoy being quiet all of a sudden, Hermione _hugging_ him out of the blue…

Her reputation as a Slytherin-hating Gryffindor was now tarnished.

****

November came, along with the Quidditch season. The House teams began practicing in the Quidditch field, and anyone who passed by it could see blue, red, green, or yellow blurs zooming up in the air. 

Harry and Ron, who were both on the Gryffindor team (Harry being the Seeker, and Ron being the Keeper and Captain), were seen carrying their broomsticks during breakfast and after classes. Hermione, being alone often since her two friends practiced every day, spent her free time in the library reading and doing her homework. 

One night, Hermione sat alone in front of the fireplace, reading a book. At that moment, two people climbed out of the Portrait Hole and walked to where she was. 

"Reading again?" 

Hermione looked up and saw Ron and Harry looming over her. "How was practice?" she asked, closing the book.

Ron flopped down on the couch and rested his head on her lap. "Very tiring."

Harry nodded along and leaned on Hermione's shoulder. "My whole body's _aching," _he complained. "And it's all Ron's fault."

"_My_ fault??"

"You _are _the Captain, aren't you?" Harry glanced at Hermione. "He made us practice for six hours without taking more than two breaks!" 

"Well, I'm sorry if I just want to win the Cup this year! I want our team to be the best!"

"We're _already_ the best! We give our _best_ efforts in every practice and game that we have! All we're asking is that we have at least five breaks!" 

"Fine—"

Hermione giggled. The two boys were already shouting and Hermione needed to stop them. She pulled their ears. 

"Oww—Oww—"

"We're stopping! Stopping—"

"Good." Hermione smiled and let go. Harry's and Ron's ears were red, and both massaged them. "You don't want me to take points off my own House, do you?" she threatened, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, yeah…" Harry stood up and stretched his arms. "Well, we're taking a bath. See you, Hermione!"

"G'night." Ron yawned. "We still have a game tomorrow morning."

"With who?"

"With that prick Malfoy and all those Slytherin prats. Anyway, see you!"

"See you." Hermione watched the two boys as they trudged up to their dormitory. Hermione closed her book and sighed. It had been weeks since she had made eye contact with Draco Malfoy, and he seemed to be avoiding her. Though they had prefect duties together every other night, all they had ever said were, "There?", "Sure," "Right", "Uh huh", and other two to three word phrases. 

All of a sudden, the embarrassing event had come flooding in her head. Hermione shook her head violently, as she tried hard to forget the memory. It was very unexpected and startling for the two of them, and luckily, the next day, Malfoy had not told anyone about it, which was very close to a miracle. 

And Hermione was reminded of something. She owed Draco Malfoy a really big thanks for not telling anyone about the _incident_. She knew that he wouldn't normally do this under normal circumstances, and Hermione was extremely grateful for it. 

"Tomorrow after the game," she decided, banging her fist on her palm. 

So with that, Hermione stood up and went to her dormitory. 

****

"We will _win_ this game, whether we cheat or not." The Slytherin Quidditch Team Captain looked around the room as he stood on the platform. "We cannot lose against Gryffindor. We will take back our victory, and our _Cup._ Chasers—"

Draco was hardly listening. He was trapped in his own thoughts as he fiddled with his Nimbus' handle, thinking about the dream he just had the previous night. It was a recurring type of dream, and it wasn't those kinds which one forgot when he woke up. 

In it were two teenagers, who looked about the age of sixteen. One was a pretty, attractive girl, and the other was a handsome boy. It could've been just any other _fluffy_ nightmare to Draco, but it wasn't. What bothered him most about it was that the boy in his dream looked exactly like him, and the girl somewhat resembled _Hermione Granger_. 

__

Of all the girls in the world… Draco thought irritably. 

"Malfoy!"

Draco looked up. Their captain was standing before him, looking very intimidating and impatient. "Yes, captain?" Draco asked in mock politeness. 

The surly boy curled his lip. "You know what to do, don't you?" he said in a dangerously low voice. 

Draco nodded. "I'll keep Potter's attention to me, and stop him from finding the Snitch."

"Good. You'd better get that bloody Snitch or _else._" The captain narrowed his eyes. 

"Don't worry." Draco stood up confidently, and grabbed his broom. "I _will._"

****

"AND GRYFFINDOR SCORES ONCE AGAIN! SEVENTY-TWENTY WITH GRYFFINDOR LEADING!" 

A loud cheer from the audience came, and Gryffindor supporters waved crimson flags. Draco shook his head in shame and continued on flying in front of his opponent, Harry Potter. 

"Can't find the bloody Snitch, can you, Scarhead?" he sneered, as he made a double somersault with his broom. "I guess your skills have deteriorated!"

Harry smirked. "At least I _have_ skills, unlike some other _blonde_ prick here." 

Draco gritted his teeth. Gryffindors always had clever, witty comebacks, and Draco had hated that ever since. _Clever_? Draco was instantly reminded of a certain Gryffindor. 

Draco shook his head and concentrated instead on Harry. "I won't let you get the Golden Snitch this time, Potter!"

However, Harry wasn't listening anymore. He was looking behind Draco, and a triumphant smile began to form in his face. Before Draco knew it, his rival had zoomed for whatever he saw behind him, leaving the Slytherin boy alone. 

"AND HARRY POTTER HAS SEEN THE SNITCH!" The commentator said excitedly. "HE'S SEEN IT!"

A loud gasp came from the audience and everyone began screaming. Draco gripped on his broom's handle and followed Harry. He wasn't going to lose to his enemy once more; he was sick and tired of it. He urged his broom to go as fast as Harry's Firebolt, and luckily, his Nimbus 2001 had caught up with the Firebolt's incredible speed. 

"_I'm _getting the Snitch this time, not _you!_" Draco told Harry, bumping him on his side. 

"Haven't you told me that for the past four years?" Harry sneered. "You haven't succeeded in any game of ours."

Draco was getting angry. Not because Harry was insulting him, but because what he just said was true. Adrenalin and a desire to win were surging through his veins and unbelievably, his Nimbus zoomed much faster than the Firebolt. 

Draco's attention was fixated on the tiny ball just fluttering down below, and he was sure that Slytherin was going to win this match. He extended his arm out, and reached for it—

When suddenly his surroundings changed. The Quidditch field below had disappeared and was replaced by tall bushes of grass, the tall poles had changed into pine trees, and the noise from the crowd turned into the pleasant singing of birds. 

Draco was still riding his broom, but now he was accompanied by a young girl. "What are you doing here? Where am I?" he demanded, but no noise came out. Instead, another voice, which was unmistakably still his, said, "Are you excited?"

The girl turned her head and smiled up sweetly at him. Draco felt himself blush. "Yes, of course." She said in a lovely voice. "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

"Is it somewhere nice?"

"Yes."

The girl leaned her head on Draco's chest. "I love you."

Everything swirled once again. Draco closed his eyes for a brief second, and when he opened them once again, he was back in the game, floating in midair. "What the—"

"WHAT IN MERLIN'S BEARD ARE YOU DOING, MALFOY?!" 

Draco turned his head and saw the Slytherin Captain raging. "GO AFTER POTTER!" he shouted, pointing at a small figure. "GET THE _SNITCH_!"

"What the—" Draco gripped the handle and zoomed down after Harry. Wasn't he leading just a while ago? But it seemed that it was the other way around already. Harry was ten meters away from him, and he was very close to getting the Golden Snitch. 

Draco urged his Nimbus to catch up to Harry, but it was too late. After about six seconds, Harry had stopped, raised up his hand and showed everyone the Golden Snitch. He was clutching it tightly in his hand, and everyone (except the Slytherins) in the stadium burst out cheering and waving their banners and flags. 

"AND GRYFFINDOR WINS! TWO HUNDRED THIRTY POINTS TO FORTY!" 

Draco punched himself mentally, and flew down to the field. It was _his_ fault, and there was no point in denying it. He was already about to catch the Snitch, but as usual, some sort of _image_ came to him and distracted him from winning. 

Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team were being crowded by their fellow Housemates, and Draco gritted his teeth. He turned around and there stood the Slytherins, each and every one of them. Their captain stood in front of everyone and he shot Draco a deadly, threatening look. 

"You'd better win the next match, Malfoy," he hissed. "Lucky for you this is just our first game."

Draco just glared at him, and he walked away.

****

"Malfoy?"

Draco turned around and came face to face with Hermione. "What?" he spat. "Came here to gloat?"

__

"No." 

"Well, what did you come down here for then?" He knew that he had no reason to get irritated at Hermione, but he was still angry for losing the match against Gryffindor. He stared at her. 

"I just wanted to… you know… _thank you_ for not telling anyone," she said quietly, shuffling her feet. 

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. "For not telling anyone _what_?" He searched his memory. Was she referring to the time when she hugged him? "For… the _incident?_"

Hermione looked up, her cheeks slightly pink. "Er—yeah." 

Draco nodded. Was _Hermione Granger_ apologizing to him, _Draco Malfoy?_ Then a thought came across his head. Why had he not told anyone about the litle incident? He knew, and obviously, the girl in front of him, knew that normally, he would have already spread it like wildfire in the school by this time. 

"Thank you," Hermione smiled. She extended her hand. "I guess I can… _trust_ you a bit."

Draco stared at her hand. If he shook it, that meant that the two of them would become _acquaintances_, or even _friends_. If he didn't, Hermione would hate and despise him more, and the thought of Hermione disliking him more than she already did unbelievably displeased Draco. 

So…

Draco shook it. "You're… welcome."

The words seemed so foreign to Draco's tongue. He had never said those two words before, and saying it to Hermione was very pleasing. Hermione, though looking quite shocked, nevertheless smiled. Draco smiled back and he stared at his hand and Hermione's. 

This was a start of a real friendship, which Draco never really had. Though it was with a _Gryffindor_, not to mention a _Muggle-born_, it still counted. 

Draco knew that this, in the future, would be forbidden. However, being friends with a Mudblood at least for a while couldn't hurt…

Right…?

****

****

A/N: Finally done with the sixth chapter. I hope that it was:

LONG enough

NICE enough

CAPTIVATING enough

And I do hope you enjoyed it all and I hope you all review! You may think that they're being friends right away, but I promise you that I will do it _little_ by _little._

Anyway, I hope I can reach at least up to **_60-65 reviews or more!_**


	7. Another Memory Shared

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Author's Note: Hello there! This is I once again, and here is chapter seven…

****

Thank you to all those who've reviewed: Super Geek, Sabriel4, eri, delila-malfoy, krissy, tom4eva, wintermoon, silentsong, anaA, Btrfly, moulin-lady, Amy, Andrea, Kerbi, purpleballerynna, hello and hi!, Xaein, sierra muffin, Illusion, DazzilinAngel555, Crackhead, CarmenSanDiego, Iris, leonsalanna, Cindylea, erica, sara, Deimos, and all those who reviewed. (I couldn't open the last page of my reviews because my Internet connection failed and was pending. So sorry!)

Here's chapter seven, and once again, I hope you all like it!

****

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

****

CHAPTER SEVEN

****

Night was falling ever so slowly, and the sky grew dark. The moon shone brightly, and several stars shimmered quietly. Draco was at the Owlery, writing a short note to his mother.

He wrote:

__

Dearest Mother,

How is everything at the Manor? I hope everything is fine, and I pray that you aren't bored. I'm doing well, of course, and as usual, my grades are quite excellent. I've made a new acquaintance, if you must know… 

Anyway, the reason I wrote to you all of a sudden was because I have question regarding our family. Was there any other Malfoy who was named… Draco?

Please answer right away. And if it's possible, could you send our family photo album along with your reply?

Your son,

Draco

Draco wrote his name with flourish and he folded the parchment. He looked up at the wooden ledges and searched for his owl. "Guinevere!" he called out, and instantly, a large bronze owl swooped down in front of him. 

Draco stroked Guinevere's feathers, and he hooted softly. "You bring this _straight_ to Mother, alright?" Draco said. The owl hooted once again in reply, and Draco stepped back. Guinevere spread his wings and immediately flew off into the night.

Once his owl disappeared in the horizon, Draco pocketed his quill and ink, and exited the round room. As he walked down the stone steps, he looked at his watch, and realized it was already ten past seven in the evening. Dinner had already begun, and so, he headed off to the Great Hall.

~

Draco stood at the entrance to the Great Hall. He looked around the large room, and observed all four tables. Three tables were noisy and cheerful, yet one was completely the opposite. That one table was where he belonged, the one of Slytherin. Unlike the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, the Slytherins were always silent, mysterious and hostile. 

People from the other Houses didn't care if their voices were loud or annoying, and they always seemed to be happy, and they talked about light things. However, students from Slytherin talked in low voices and always looked around suspiciously. They conversed about serious matters, or sometimes, they didn't even talk at all. All they did was just sit there and eat in silence.

Draco, being in Slytherin, was immensely proud that he belonged in such a House. To him, it had always been an honor, and he simply loved being a student from Slytherin. He wouldn't exchange his place even for money or power, but now… making this observation…

Draco would have gladly paid any amount of money to be in any other House other than the current one he was in. He wanted to know how it felt like just laughing out loud with people he considered as friends, not giving a care in the world. 

Oh, how he just envied those lucky people who were in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff… how he wished he could just sit at those other three tables…

But sadly he couldn't. He walked to his appointed table and sat down beside Crabbe and Goyle. The two boys ate their dinner quite sloppily, and Draco made a face of pure disgust. "Can't you two eat properly?" he snapped. 

Crabbe and Goyle shook their heads in reply and continued on eating. Draco turned away, resisting the desire to hurl. He filled his empty plate and took a spoonful of food when…

Suddenly, everything around him swirled around. Draco dropped his spoon and looked around. It was happening yet again… the long wooden table was replaced with a round glass one and everyone in the Great Hall disappeared. His plate turned into a small teacup and the Great Hall itself had changed into a vast garden full of luscious green plants. 

Draco sat there, looking around. This was the second time this had happened to him. It was like he was transported back in time. But he wasn't so sure… and a thought crossed his mind… a very _unlikely_ idea… 

__

He came to believe that his dreams were turning into reality… 

"Draco?" 

A female voice spoke up. Draco looked up in front of him and came face to face with the same girl he had been dreaming of lately. And he gasped.

__

"Granger??" he said incredulously. He couldn't believe it. The girl sitting right in front of him looked exactly like the Gryffindor girl he knew. She had the same brown eyes, the same curly hair, and the same expression he had seen rarely. Though he had seen this girl in his dreams so many countless times, he had never really seen her face clearly. But now, he did. And she looked _exactly_ like Hermione Granger.

"What did you say?" the girl said, looking at him curiously.

"Are you—are you Hermione Granger?" Draco asked reluctantly. 

The girl laughed. "Well, I _am_ Hermione," she replied, "But my family name's 'de Cicely Rarington'. Did you forget?"

Draco shook his head. "No—of course not." 

"You're acting funny today, love." The Hermione in front of him said. She reached for his hand and held it tightly. "Anything wrong?"

She stroked his hand gently and Draco enjoyed the feeling. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and opened them once again, realizing that _this_ was just a dream. 

__

But a dream can't be this _real,_ he thought, staring at the girl in front of him. She smiled sweetly at him and Draco felt himself blush. 

"I love you, you know…" Hermione turned away shyly and blushed as she said those words. She glanced at him. "Do you love me too?"

Draco blinked. "_What??"_

At that very instant, everything swirled once again. The girl, the garden, the table… everything disappeared. The Great Hall had once again emerged, and the same noise that filled the huge room was heard once again. Draco looked right in front of him and realized that it was not the girl any longer. He was staring at Pansy Parkinson's pug face, and he immediately turned away. 

"Bedazzled by my radiant beauty, Drakie?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. Instead of sounding melodious and beautiful, her voice was close to the shrill and head-splitting noise made by a banshee. 

Draco shuddered, and shot a contemptuous glare at her. "No, I was just wondering why you look like a hag, that's all," he sneered. 

Pansy scowled and turned away. She made an indignant sound, and chatted away with another girl. Meanwhile, Draco's head was filled with thoughts about what just happened, with a mixture of Hermione Granger. He took a brief glance at the Gryffindor table and searched for her. He spotted her after a short while and observed her. 

Hermione, as usual, was sitting beside her two friends. Harry and Ron were talking to each other, and Hermione was just eating quietly. _Must be about Quidditch_, Draco thought, smirking. He always knew that she was never really interested in the sport. That was why she never usually joined in the two boys' conversation. 

However, something was wrong. Hermione absent-mindedly put an empty spoon in her mouth and didn't seem to notice. Her two friends didn't notice it either, because they were still conversing. Draco squinted his eyes a bit more to get a closer look. Hermione had an unusual expression on her face. She looked quite dazed, and a bit shocked. 

It was somewhat similar to his reaction, Draco noted, when he had 'traveled back in time'. Then a thought struck him. 

Maybe, just maybe… _Hermione had the same experience just a while ago…!_

****

Hermione paced back and forth as she waited for Draco. She had too many things in mind, one of which was what happened a while ago at dinner time. It was just… _weird_ and… _strange_. Everything had just changed and all of a sudden, she had come face to face with Draco Malfoy. 

Only it didn't seem like the Draco Malfoy she had come to know and hate. He was _sweet_, _tender_, _loving_ and _charming_, which was totally unlike him. He had kissed her forehead so gently, which made her tingle with excitement. 

And then, when he had said that he loved her, everything went back to normal. She was back in the Great Hall, surrounded by Hogwarts students once again. She tapped Neville Longbottom asking if anything strange had just happened, but he shook his head. "Why? I-Is anything bad happening?" he had stuttered, starting to get nervous. 

Hermione shook her head and groaned in frustration. "What is _wrong_ with me??" 

"A lot of things." 

Hermione twirled around, and saw Draco Malfoy standing in front of her. 

"And good evening to you too," Hermione said nastily, crossing her arms. 

Draco replied with a smirk. "Care to give me another hug?" he joked, opening his arms wide. 

Hermione turned red, and fumed. "Very funny." She resisted the urge to pull out her wand and curse him, and so she put on a strained smile. "Shall we?"

Draco simply grinned.

****

"Can I… ask you something?" 

"Fire away."

Hermione hesitated. "It—It's nothing. Never mind," she laughed nervously. She looked away and instead concentrated on the night sky.

"Do I have to threaten you to tell me?"

"Do you want me to curse you?"

Draco stopped and turned Hermione to him. A mischievous grin was present on his face, and Hermione stared at him. "Tell me… or I'll tell everyone about our… _intimate_ moment." 

"You're not serious." Hermione gulped. Draco Malfoy was blackmailing her. "You can't _do_ that!"

Draco laughed evilly. "Yes, I can. And I _will_—unless of course you tell me what's bothering you."

"You're pure evil, Malfoy, you know that?"

"Why, thank you, Granger. Stating the obvious, but thank you all the same." Draco snickered loudly. "Now, tell me."

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Fine then." Draco started walking away. "I'll just go down to the Great Hall and start telling _everyone_… see you—"

"I'll tell you, I'll _tell_ you!" Hermione practically screamed to him, and ran to where he was. 

Draco burst out laughing and Hermione hit him hard on the head. "If you weren't an annoying prick, you'd make excellent friends with Ron and Harry, you know that?!" she pinched his ear, causing Draco to stop laughing. However, he was still somewhat red. 

"Let go of my ear!" 

"Stop teasing me then!"

"Fine!"

Hermione let go and crossed her arms. Draco sank to the floor, carressing his now swollen ear. He looked up at her and grinned. "You have quite a grip, you know that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You boys are all the same." 

Draco stood up, still holding his ear. "Fine. I give up." He put his hands in his pockets and began walking once again. 

Hermione sighed in relief, and followed him in silence.

~

Draco wondered what Hermione wanted to ask him. She had looked so lost and quite reluctant to do so, which meant that it was something important. He wondered if it was about the "time travel" event at the Great Hall.

__

Could she have experienced it too? He thought, glancing at her. He knew he wouldn't know the answer unless one of them asked the question first…

"Granger." 

Hermione grunted in reply. She had not taken her eyes off the sky. 

Draco ran his fingers through his gelled hair and bit his lip. How was he going to ask her? "Did—did you…" Draco scratched his head. "Did anything… _strange_ happen during dinner?"

Hermione turned her head sharply to him. "What—what do you mean?" she quivered, blinking several times.

Both stopped walking. "I mean… was there some… _odd_ occurrence happening?" Draco queried, turning away.

Hermione kept silent before giving her reply. She thought deeply, before speaking up again. "I—er—" 

Draco bit his lip with eagerness. So she _did_ experience it after all! 

"No." 

Draco blinked. Did he hear just right? "What?"

Hermione gulped and turned away. "I don't think so," she said quietly. 

Draco turned to her. She had her attention on the night sky once again, and he sighed. He was so sure that she knew what he was talking about! How could she not know?

Draco held his hands tightly in fists and glared at Hermione's back. "You're lying."

Hermione didn't react.

****

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Author's Note: Finally done with chapter seven! I liked this story a bit, even though nothing fluffy happened here… 

I do hope you understand why Hermione _lied_… I don't want to explain it in the next chapter! As I've said, I am a bad explainer. But, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in your reviews! 

Yes, I promise that there will be more romance and fluffiness and mushiness in the next one! But I won't rush it of course…

So, all you have to do is **REVIEW!**

I do hope I reach at least **75 reviews** or more! Thanks a bunch!


	8. The Picture

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey there, people! It is I once again, Rage…

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Most common question/s:

Q. Why did Hermione lie to Draco?

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A. It's similar to what happened in the second book. Remember when Harry was hearing voices? When he told his best friends, Ron and Hermione said that _'hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world'. _This time, it's Hermione who's seeing things. She thinks that she's the only one who can see those images, and if she tells anyone about it, they might say that she's going crazy…

Besides, why would Hermione tell Draco, of all people? They're not exactly the best of friends, right? (Thank you to **wintermoon** for helping me with this point!)

So, anyway, I would like to thank all those who reviewed… I can't name you all at the moment; my brother's using the other computer which is the only one that has access to the Internet… You know who you all are, right?

If you have any inquiries or some questions, please tell me in your reviews! I will appreciate it very much!

Here's chapter eight as a thank you… hope you enjoy!

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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CHAPTER EIGHT: _THE PICTURE_

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"Mail's here!" 

Everyone looked up. At that very moment, hundreds of owls rushed into the Great Hall and flew down to the students below. Draco's owl Guinevere landed gently in front of him and dropped a medium-sized parcel wrapped in brown paper.

Draco brought the package to his lap and looked up at his pet. "Thanks, Guinevere," he said, stroking his feathers. Guinevere hooted softly and flew back up in the air, joining the other owls once again. 

Once Guinevere had disappeared, Draco gazed back at the brown box sitting on his lap. Though there was nothing written outside it, Draco knew what was already inside; his mother's reply and to his luck, the family photo album. 

"What's that, an early Christmas gift?" some seventh year asked.

Draco didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Blaise Zabini and asked for the time. If he had a whole lot of minutes to spare, he would go back up to his Common Room and open the long-awaited parcel. 

"A quarter to eight," replied Draco's fellow Slytherin. 

__

Shoot. He _didn't_ have enough time. Draco was itching to open it, but his first period was going to start in fifteen minutes. He seriously considered skipping it, but then again… he _was_ after all a school prefect, and he wouldn't dare set a _bad_ example for the younger students. 

So, Draco had time only to go back to their dormitory and keep it, which he had done right after breakfast. He kept it in his trunk, beneath his school robes, and guarded the trunk with special security charms and spells. 

And so, with that, he proceeded to his first lesson.

****

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the last morning class and the start of lunchtime. Draco exited the Charms classroom with Crabbe and Goyle trailing behind him. Lunch was an hour and fifteen minutes long, which was fortunate for Draco. That gave him enough time to eat lunch and open the package with absolutely no hurry. However, eagerness and excitement was already bottled up inside him ever since it came, and he was trembling to go back to his dormitory. 

He ate his lunch quite sloppily this time, drank from his goblet quickly and finally headed off for the Slytherin dungeons. 

"Jumping Banshee," he said hurriedly to the stone wall, and in seconds, it opened a hole for Draco to climb in. Draco ran through the hole and entered the Common Room. A few first years were there at the moment, and Draco didn't bother to glance at them. He ran down the stone steps leading to his dormitory, strolled to his four-poster bed and opened his wooden trunk. 

Draco rummaged under all his clothes and books. Finally, after several seconds, he pulled out the parcel. He sat down on the carpeted floor and looked at it in silence. It was still wrapped in brown paper, and a thin rope bound it. He untied it carefully with ease and, like a young toddler during Christmas morning, he opened the parcel with excitement. 

Once unclosing it, an old dusty looking book and an envelope was revealed. Draco picked up the envelope first, and unfolded it slowly. It was the awaited reply from his mother, and Draco read the letter carefully.

__

Dearest Draco,

__

I am sorry that it has taken this long for me to reply. _Some problems had occurred here at the Manor; several house elves had mysteriously disappeared, so we had to hire a whole new lot of them_. 

__

Regarding your question, I do not know whether there ever was another Draco in the family. _I asked your father, but he hardly gave me any answer._ _I'm sorry to disappoint you, dear…_

__

However, here is what you requested for—the family photo album. It took the house elves a whole day to find it in the library, and we were quite fortunate to find it in time. You see, it was included in one of the boxes that were filled with books that were going to be donated to the Ministry.

Anyway, I hope you find the answer to your question. However, why did you ask all of a sudden? Is it part of a project? 

Write soon if you want homemade pastries.

With Love,

Your Mother

Draco placed the letter carefully beside him. He analyzed what his mother had just written… _So there was no other Draco?_ He thought, biting his lip. 

But that was highly impossible. He was so sure that there was another member of Malfoy named Draco…

Draco turned his attention now to the leather bound book. He brought it to his lap, and opened it on its first page. Written on it was the word, _Malfoy_ in bold, black letters, and Draco traced it with his finger. Below it was a short inscription, and Draco read it silently. 

__

Here in thy hands,

An aged book lies

Kept well for selected eyes.

In each page, an image stays

Of the olden days

Of a Malfoy. 

Handle with care this book you hold 

Dearly in your hands

For every Malfoy 

Has his own tale

Waiting to be told. 

Draco smiled. He remembered that inscription well during his childhood, and he used to recite it all the time to anyone who would listen. This book was somewhat his favorite when he was young, and every night, he would skim through its aged pages. However, when he had reached his adolescence, he had somehow forgotten about the book.

But now, it was time to reopen it. Draco turned the crispy pages and scanned each one, looking for the right photograph. Below each picture was the name of the Malfoy, his or her birthday and death day, and a short biography of the person. Draco read through most of it and came across some of the weirdest names and people, even though those people were part of the Malfoy family.

~

Minutes passed, and Draco still hadn't found him. He was close to tearing the book apart out of frustration, and only forty-five minutes of lunch were remaining. A part of him had already been convinced that there was no other Draco and that part was prepared to give up. However, the other half of him was still determined to find the certain person, even if that meant being late for History of Magic.

Draco had reached two thirds of the book. He was already in the late 17th century, and there was still no sign of the other Draco. "Why is it _this_ hard to find one person?" he said out loud, frustrated. 

He turned the pages quite violently this time, and caused one page to separate from the album. That page fell to the floor, and sat there gently. Draco looked at it and cursed, knowing that it was going to be difficult to put it back in the book. "Bloody album," he muttered under his breath, picking it up and placing it right in front of his face.

He glanced at the pictures on the page, and gasped. 

There it was… the picture he was desperately looking for. Draco blinked, and made sure that it was not he who was in the photograph. The photo was quite yellowish from age, and the sides were creased. Draco set it down on the album and read the small paragraph below. 

__

Sir Draco de Malfoy, son of Count Lucifer of Harrington

Born on April 15th, of the year 1771, and died on October 10th, 1787 at the young age of sixteen

Sir Draco Malfoy was planned to be the next Count of Harrington after his father, and was arranged to marry the Duchess of Hampshire at the age of sixteen. However, he had died before he was able to do so, because of an unknown reason. His father refused to say why and how he had died. 

That was all it said. Draco wasn't convinced by what he had just read. It didn't make sense. Sure, he found the other Draco, but now another question was forming in his head. _Why had this Draco die all of a sudden at the_ very _young age of sixteen?_

He was determined to find out the reason why. But he couldn't do it now. Lunch was about to end. So, Draco kept the picture in his pocket, placed the album back in his trunk, and finally left for his first lesson.

****

It was five past eleven. Hermione and Draco patrolled all around the castle, and were about to reach the end of their prefect duties. 

Hermione looked at Draco. He was quiet this evening, and hadn't talked at all. She was sure that something was bothering him. 

"Something troubling you?" 

Draco glanced at her. He shook his head, and turned away. "What time is it?" he asked quietly. 

Hermione flicked her wand and instantly, bright numbers appeared in the air. "Five minutes past eleven," she replied. She waved her wand once again, and the numbers vanished. "Patrolling's done."

"Alright." Draco shot her a quick grin and briskly walked away. "See you tomorrow." 

Hermione blinked. _He's just going to leave me here?_ "Wait—"

But he had already disappeared. Hermione sighed heavily, and looked around. "Great." She wanted to have some more of his company, though that didn't sound like her. Though it seemed strange, she wanted to spend time with him…

"Oh well." Hermione shrugged and started heading off to the Gryffindor Tower. However, something caught her attention. 

She walked towards it, and kneeled down. On the ground was a small piece of old paper, and Hermione picked it up. "What's this?" she turned the paper over and looked at it.

And her eyes widened. 

It was a picture. Of who seemed to be Draco Malfoy. 

And oddly, it was familiar. 

All of a sudden, Hermione kept it close to her heart. There was a warm feeling inside her, and she knew that this wasn't the Draco Malfoy she knew. 

This one, instead, was undoubtedly, and strangely, without her knowing it, the man whom she fell in love with a long, long time ago.

****

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A/N: So, did you all like it? I sure hope you all did! This, I think, is one of the good and well-written chapters of this story. 

I made it long, and nice, I think… 

I hope you tell me your comments, suggestions or questions through your reviews!

I hope I can get a lot this time, not that I'm saying I didn't for the previous chapter… 

I hope I can get **85 reviews or more**! I worked hard on this one! 

Thanks! 


	9. I Think I'm In Love With Him

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A/N: Hello there! Thank you for waiting patiently for this chapter! I'm sorry it took so long… 

Anyway, thanks to all those who reviewed! 

Regarding **the sequel to "My Guardian Angel"**: Yes, I am sure that there will definitely be a sequel. I just have to… work on the details, he he!

Anyway, here's chapter nine!

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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CHAPTER NINE

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Her eyes traveled instantly to the young, blonde, slick-haired Slytherin who sat four chairs away from her. She studied his every feature, checking and rechecking if he was or wasn't the young man in the picture. 

Hermione opened her _A History of Magic_ book and turned to the page where she slipped the old photograph. Its sides were creased, and the picture itself was close to fading. The young man appeared to be whistling a pleasant tune, and he bowed courteously to Hermione. 

Hermione turned crimson. Every time she looked at the Draco look-alike, she had momentary tingling feelings and she just wanted to stare at the photograph all day. She found herself sighing dreamily as the young man flashed her a charming smile, and she giggled endlessly whenever she thought of him. 

She closed her book and stared up. Professor Binns, the only ghost who taught at Hogwarts, continued droning on and on about the Year of the Giants and their great battle at Liechtenstein. He hardly looked back at the class and asked if they actually understood what he was teaching them, and for the first time, Hermione found herself bored in History of Magic.

She looked around her. Seamus Finnigan had his eyes closed and he was already drooling on his desk; Neville was already snoring albeit silently; Ron and Harry were making sword fights with their quills; Parvati and Lavender were passing notes; Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode were whispering quietly with each other and Draco Malfoy stared outside the window with a thoughtful look. 

Hermione blinked. She looked at Draco from the corner of her eye and blushed. For the first time in her life, she considered the Slytherin handsome. Not just handsome, but _extremely_ handsome. 

In that very minute, everything about him was perfect. 

Absolutely perfect. 

His gray eyes twinkled in the sunlight, his golden hair was finely slicked back, and the look he was wearing was just… beautiful.

Hermione took the picture out once again and stared at it. She looked back at him and blushed. Draco Malfoy now looked exactly like the young man in the photograph. 

__

But that can't be, she thought. Hermione perfectly knew that the man in the picture and the teenager sitting four seats away from her were completely different. 

The Draco Malfoy she had come to know was too proud, too confident, and somewhat annoying. But the young man in the photograph was completely the opposite. She didn't know how and why she knew that, but she had a strong feeling that… he was. 

She just knew.

****

Draco rummaged through his trunk, looking for the photograph. He forgot where he placed it and now, he was searching for it all over the place. 

Crabbe and Goyle sat on the edge of his bed and looked at him. "What are you looking for?" Crabbe asked. 

"Nothing that concerns you," Draco replied irritably. He glared at the two. "What are you two doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be down at the kitchens stuffing your faces?" 

"You said we should remind you that it's time for your patrolling if you ever forget." 

"So…?!"

"It's eight fifteen."

"What?" Draco looked at the brass clock on the wall. It _was_ eight fifteen and he was already fifteen minutes late. He was supposed to meet Hermione at eight o'clock sharp, and because of the search for the missing picture, he was sure that she was going to be moody.

So, he put back all his things back in his trunk and finally left the dormitory.

****

"I'm here!" Draco burst out as he arrived at the Entrance Hall. Hermione was sitting down on one of the stone steps, hardly noticing that she wasn't alone anymore. 

Draco walked over to where she was. "I _said_, I'm here." 

She looked up and smiled. "Oh. Shall we?" she stood up and brushed the dust off her robes. 

"What?" Draco stared at her. "Aren't you mad or anything?"

Hermione raised her eyebrow. "Why should I be mad?"

"Because you waited for me for almost thirty minutes."

"But I'm not."

"Why not?"

"So you want _me_ to be mad at _you_?"

"Well—no."

"So let's go, shall we?"

~

__

Where could that bloody picture be? Draco searched his pockets, checking if he might have left the photograph there. He had looked everywhere for it; his trunk, his clothes, his books… where else could he have put it? 

He searched his memory. _When was the last time I had it?_ He couldn't remember. 

__

That's what you get for being so bloody messy, a tiny voice scolded. Draco smacked himself mentally. He had lost the only clue he had that could help explain why he was having unusual illusions!

He glanced sideways at the girl beside him. Hermione was minding her own business, humming a pleasant tune to herself. 

Then a thought crossed his mind. What if…what if he dropped the picture during the end of one of their patrolling? There was a possibility…

"Hermione." The name was so foreign to his tongue, but he didn't hesitate to say it again. "Hermione."

"Hm?" Hermione seemed to be surprised as he was when he had used her first name.

"Did you, by any chance, see an old photograph lying around?" 

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached inside her pocket for something and pulled it slowly out. "You mean…" she turned it to the front and showed it to him. "This one?"

There it was. Draco heaved a sigh and nodded. "That's the one!" He took it from her and smiled. "I thought I lost it! Thanks!"

Hermione returned a tiny smile. "Don't mention it."

Draco looked at the picture. The "Draco" in the picture was dozing off as he leaned on the wall beside him, looking very similar to a young child tired of playing. Draco smiled and kept it in his pocket. 

"Was that you in the picture?" 

Draco glanced at Hermione. She looked quite hesitant and at the same curious and eager, and Draco wondered why she wanted to know. "Why?"

"It's just that—the guy in the picture looks exactly like you, but— he's wearing century-old clothes, and—"

"It's not me."

"Who is it then?"

"Some other member of my family."

"What's his name?"

"Same as mine. Draco Malfoy."

Hermione repeated what he said. "Draco Malfoy…"

Draco furrowed his eyebrows and stopped walking. "Why?"

"Nothing. Just curious, that's all," she replied quietly. 

"Tell me." Draco put his hand on her shoulder, causing Hermione to shudder. "Tell me…please?"

__

Please? Draco dropped his hand and repeated the word that was alien to him. _What had gotten into me?_ He was now using the word, _please_? And he was begging Hermione to tell him something he had no concern of? 

Draco's thoughts were cut short when Hermione gave her reply.

"It's just that… that _Draco Malfoy_ seems _very_ familiar to me. I don't know why, though, but he is." Hermione paused for a moment and continued. "And there's one more thing that bothers me about him."

Draco leaned in. "Which is…?"

Hermione looked up at his gray eyes and bit her lip. "I—it's weird—I—"

"Just tell me."

"I… I think… I think I'm in love with him."

****

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A/N: What do you think? To be honest, I didn't know how to end this chapter, that's why I had trouble finishing it. But I hope it was good enough. I worked hard on this, even if it really stinks!

Just to let you know, school starts on June 16, which means, for me, is tomorrow! That also means that I won't be able to update very quickly, so at this early stage, I am apologizing! I will still update my stories of course, it's just that it won't be very fast.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please, all I'm asking are your reviews! I hope I can reach 95+ reviews or more!

Thanks!


	10. Surprising Events in the Prefects' Bathr...

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Author's Note: Hey there people! It is I once again, Rage! I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to be posted up, but as I have said, school's back in business, and I'm stuck every day after school doing my homework/studying/resting from the exhaustion from school. But at least it's here already!!

06-23-03: I just finished Harry Potter Book Five just a while ago, and I'm feeling a bit down… I'm sure all you HP fans know why… one of the most significant characters of Harry Potter has been… you know the word, as well as the person…I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet… I'm feeling really sad because I've just realized a while ago that the person who *toot* is my favorite character…well, at least one of them… :-(

Well, life goes on…

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Thank you to: I AmAre I, annabanana297, Sabriel4, Chrissy, blue ribbon, Sweet Water, Deimos, Pampers, Oo.DrAcOzAnJeL.Oo, DazzilinAngel555, wintermoon, CrackHead, Serpena, delila-malfoy, fairy-twinkle-winkle, Tammy, Liliath, CarmenSandiego, Andrea, Amy, Kara Black, baby-gurl25, Li-chan, CindyLea, and all those who have reviewed my past chapters! I'm sorry if I can't mention you all, but I'm feeling too lazy to open all the review pages! 

I know the ending of the last chapter was sort of cheesy, but I told you that I didn't know how to end it! I apologize deeply!

Anyway, here is chapter ten!

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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CHAPTER TEN

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Draco wondered if his hearing was defaulting. Did Hermione just say what he thought she said or was he just imagining things? 

__

I think I'm in love with him… Her words echoed endlessly in his head. It didn't make sense… didn't make sense at all… 

"You're… in _love_ with this… _person_?" he stuttered, pointing at the man in the photograph. 

Hermione turned crimson. "I didn't say I was _in love_ with him, I just said I _think_ I am!" 

"But—Hermione, this—this person's… well—_dead_." Said Draco. "I mean—he lived almost a _century_ ago."

"Yes, I _know_ that." Hermione crossed her arms and turned away. "I… I know that." There was a hint of pain and sadness in her voice, and though she spoke quietly, Draco noticed it very well. 

He looked back at the picture and then at Hermione. She seemed to know very well who this person was… it seemed like she'd known him for years. And it _did_ seem like she was _truly_ in love with the Draco look-alike.

"But… how? Why?" Draco asked. 

"I don't exactly know the reason," replied Hermione. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and turned away once again. "I just… feel attached to him, that's all. It's like… I've met him before. I don't remember when, though. But I'm sure I did." 

There was a moment of silence. The wind quietly rushed through the dark corridor, and the flames flickered every now and then. Hermione had her back turned to Draco, and Draco was still clutching the old photograph tightly in his hand. His thoughts were messed up, and now, he didn't know what to think or do or say. Apparently, Hermione didn't know what to do too. 

Luckily, at that very moment, Peeves, the poltergeist appeared out of nowhere. "Whippee!" he cackled, bouncing up and down as he entered the corridor. The two teenagers shifted their attention to him, and he cackled once more. "A bunch of prefects out patrolling… or just two teenagers having some fun in the night?" he said slyly, stopping in midair. 

"Shut up, Peeves," Draco hissed. He was in no mood to deal with anything unimportant at the moment; he was still preoccupied with everything else.

Peeves stuck his tongue out and scowled at him. "You can't make me!"

"Get lost or I'll call the Bloody Baron!" 

"Killjoy!" And instantly, the poltergeist vanished. 

Draco sighed heavily and turned around to face Hermione. However, she was nowhere to be found. She was gone.

****

__

"Six o'clock in the morning!" The magical clock wheezed lazily. _"Wake up!!" _

Hermione opened her eyes drowsily. The sun's rays went through the windows of the girls' dormitory, making the dark shadows that were present the other night disappear. Everyone was still asleep, and only Hermione was the only one sitting upright. 

She stood up and yawned as she stretched her arms. Classes would start in about two hours, and she had enough time to take a bath. So, she fixed her bed, grabbed her toiletries and headed for the prefects' bathroom. She hardly used the exclusive room, and this was the only chance she had to finally occupy it by herself. 

****

"Squeaky clean," said Hermione to the door beside the statue of Boris the Bewildered. The door creaked open, and Hermione slipped inside carefully as she clumsily carried her toiletries in her arms. She dropped them to the nearest counter and looked around. 

"Wow…" she said breathlessly, as she took in everything her eyes met. Harry had told her about it before during their fourth year… 

__

"It's a wonderful room, the prefects' bathroom," Harry had said, _"I bet it's the best thing in becoming a prefect…" _

And he was right. It _was_ amazing… the chandelier above hung splendidly on the ceiling, and everything was made of white marble… The enormous bathtub in the middle of the room was empty at the moment, and Hermione noted that there were about a hundred taps on its side. 

Hermione smiled gleefully and was about to take off her clothes, when—

"Well, if you'd really like to do that in front of me, go ahead," a smug voice said from behind. 

Hermione gasped in fright and immediately rebuttoned her clothes. She whirled around, and came face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy. "What in Merlin's sake are you doing here??" she hissed. "At _six_ in the morning?"

Draco walked around her and dropped the things he was carrying. He turned around and faced her. "I'm going to take my daily bath. This is the usual time for me to wake up. I usually take my baths here."

"But… _why??_"

Draco gave her a flat look. "Unless you didn't know," he said, "I'm a _prefect. _Plus, I'd like to be hygienic, if you don't mind… cleanliness as everyone knows _is_ of course the next step to godliness. "

"I don't care!" Hermione had gotten in the bathroom first and she perfectly knew that she was entitled to use it first before Malfoy. "I came here _first_, so _I_ get to use it _first_."

Draco stared at her. Hermione was still breathing hard, and she threw a glare at him. Finally, after what seemed to be an hour long of silence, Draco shrugged and turned away. "Fine." 

He took out his wand out from his robes and flicked it. A second passed, and suddenly, out of thin air, a foldable wall (AN: you know those things in movies/ cartoons where the characters change behind? That's the one…) appeared. Draco grabbed all his things and went behind the wall. 

Hermione stood gaping at him. From behind the wall, Draco spoke up. "Well, are you taking a bath or not? I haven't got all morning, y'know…"

"Why can't you just wait outside??" Hermione asked worriedly. "You know, like normal people!"

"It'd be a waste of good time," Draco replied, exasperated. 

"You might-- _peek!_" 

Draco popped his head out of the wall. He was wearing an annoyed look, and seemed like he had absolutely no time to waste. "I might be a prat, a villain, a selfish, annoying git," he said, counting the things he called himself with his fingers, "But I never was, am, or ever will be a _pervert._"

Hermione snorted. She believed that all guys were perverts, even just once in their lives, and she had no reason to give the boy who stood behind the wall the benefit of the doubt. 

"Granger, I am _not_ going to peek! My fingers are uncrossed—look!" He held up both his hands. "And besides, what's there to _look_ at anyway?"

Hermione stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms. "Fine," she took her towel and glanced at Draco. "Now, go back behind that wall!"

Draco smirked and disappeared behind the wall. 

Hermione made sure that she was completely hidden from Draco's view before she finally took off her clothes. She sneaked towards the water tap and turned it on, and for several minutes, water gushing out was the only thing that could be heard in the room. Hermione turned it off and turned on the other taps. She chose strawberry and vanilla, and as soon as the bubbly liquids poured into the bathtub, there was a wonderful whiff of the scents.

When finally her bath was ready, Hermione climbed into the bathtub that was now full of enormous white bubbles. She sighed contently as she rested her head on one of its sides and closed her eyes. _Now this is life,_ she thought happily. _I could do this all day…_

"This ring seems awfully familiar to me." 

Hermione's train of thought was cut short. She opened her eyes and turned around. Draco was leaning out of the wall, holding the precious ring in his hand, eyeing it very carefully. 

__

"What did I _say_?" Hermione glared at him, and engulfed her whole body with more bubbles. "Didn't I tell you to _hide_ behind that wall??"

Draco looked up. "Oh—I forgot." He grinned sheepishly and went back to his hiding place. "Pardon me." 

"Pervert," Hermione muttered under her breath. She was still fuming inside and at the moment, there was a burning desire in her that wanted to hex the young man. She turned around, and was relieved that Draco wasn't in her view anymore.

"Hermione," she heard him say. 

"Yes?" she replied. 

"Where'd you get this ring?" 

She rolled her eyes. "Didn't I already tell you? It's a family heirloom." 

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty much."

"…"

Hermione leaned her head on the sink and stared up at the chandelier. She wondered why Draco was again asking things about her stupid ring… what was so important about it that he knew that she didn't know? 

"Why?" she suddenly asked.

"It's… familiar, that's all." 

"Why?" she repeated, her voice louder.

"Nothing." He replied curtly.

But Hermione was n't satisfied. His answer wasn't the one she was looking for. "Draco—"

"It's already six thirty five, Granger." Draco's head suddenly appeared. "I'm expecting you to be done by six fifty."

"What—oh, all _right._ Go away, I'm going to get out." Hermione shot an angry look at him, and Draco once again vanished behind the wall. Hermione grabbed her towel, got out, and wrapped it around her. She pulled the silver plug and the water gradually drained into the small hole. She walked over to her clothes, and after about ten minutes, she was finally dressed in her schoolrobes. 

"I'm done!" she exclaimed triumphantly, and she walked behind the wall. There she saw Draco, his back leaned on the wall as he sat down. The ring was in his palm, resting quietly as he examined it. 

"Can I have my ring back?" Hermione suddenly said.

Draco looked up, and blinked. "What?"

Hermione pointed to the small ring, and Draco quickly understood. "Oh, right—" He stood up and held the ring in front of her. "Just got carried away, that's all… Here."

Hermione opened her right palm to receive it. 

"Whoops—" Draco had dropped the ring on the marble floor. He bent down to pick it up. "No damage done on the ring—Here."

He looked up at Hermione, one leg kneeling. Hermione felt herself blush, seeing how Draco was down on one knee… it seemed like he was… _proposing_… And at that precise moment, she was reminded of the young man in the photograph…

Draco's eyes had softened a bit, and he was gently smiling. The bathroom had dissolved into a shade by a huge meadow, and Hermione wasn't wearing her school robes anymore. Instead she was in a light blue dress, standing in front of the other Draco. 

__

"Hermione," he said in a wonderfully low voice, _"What will you say if I asked you to marry me?_"

Hermione let out a small gasp. "What??" she squealed, dumbfounded.

The Draco-lookalike smiled and took out a beautiful silver ring, similar to Hermione's… only now it had a diamond stud on it. _"Do you see this ring?_" he asked. Hermione nodded in reply. _"It's for you._"

"For me?" stammered Hermione. "But—but—I-I'm only _sixteen_—"

"_No, no, it's not an engagement ring_," he laughed. "_It's just a symbol of my… well, you know… my 'undying love' for you."_

Hermione gaped at him. _Undying love?_ She thought, gaping at the ring he was holding. _For me?_

__

"Hold out your hand." The young man said. Hermione did as she was told and gave her left hand to him. Meanwhile, he stood up and wore the ring on her ring finger. _"I hope,"_ he said as he put the ring, _"that you may never forget that I love you very much… with my heart and soul._" 

Hermione stood gaping at him as he held her hand tightly. She looked at the ring and immediately, at the first sight of it, she was breathtaken. It was simply beautiful… 

She looked up at the young man's smiling face, and she knew that she would never forget him. _"I—I—"_ she struggled for words, but found none. The Draco lookalike put his finger on her lips and cupped her cheek. 

__

"I love you, Hermione," he whispered. He tilted his head… and he kissed her. 

Her head was spinning. The moment she had touched his lips, she was in a world full of nothing but pure bliss. She felt like she was under the Imperius curse… she was just floating around, feeling overjoyed.

She opened her eyes, and smiled. The young man had pulled away and she was expecting to see his handsome face. She knew that he was just standing in front of her…

"Oh.Bloody.Hell." said a voice that was definitely not the man she was with a few minutes ago.

__

Oh.my.goodness.

Hermione knew who owned that voice. But it couldn't be… it wouldn't be… it shouldn't be!

She looked up fearfully. She knew what she had done… _He_ knew what she had done…!

She kissed Draco Malfoy!

****

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A/N: Ehe… was it okay? The ending? Quite a surprise, doncha think? I hope it was… sorry this took so long… school was the main reason… quizzes, homeworks… bleurgh!

Anyway, not much to say here! You know what you've got to do, right? 

REVIEW! Tell me your comments/opinions/suggestions/flames/criticisms/etc.!

Will be waiting…


	11. The Illusion Had Happened for Real

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Author's Note: Hey there! I'm back once again, and as you can see, I have uploaded chapter eleven!

Thank you to all those who've reviewed! Your constructive criticisms were very well appreciated, and I do hope you still review in the future chapters! Thank you also to those who just read! Also, **if you would like me to email you when the next chapter's up, just leave your email address in your reviews!**

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Thank you to: Vyx, maria, PsychicFairy, Dazzler, Chrissy, CarmenSandiego, CindyLea, Nyx, Oo.DrAcOzAnAnJeL.oO, The Mental Pixi-stix Faerie, Priah, Crackhead, I AmArE I, =), Ace, Sam, wintermoon, Icyfire, ThePotionMaster, delila-malfoy, Deimos, purpleballerynna, Serpena, isabel-evelyn, eth, and all the rest!!

To **Priah**: Thank you for your very _long_ and helpful review! Yes, I apologize if there were some flaws in my storyline, but I'm only thirteen, and I know _nothing_ about suspense, mystery, and the old English language! All the same, thank you for enjoying my fanfic!

Anywho, here's chapter eleven!

~*~*~

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage

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Chapter Eleven

~*~*~

Draco stepped back from Hermione, his eyes wide with shock. He placed his middle finger on top of his lips, recalling what had just happened. One moment he was just handing back Hermione's ring, and at the next… he was _snogging_ her!

'I… I…' he stammered, at a complete loss of words. 

Hermione seemed to be in the same state as he was. She had a dazed look present on her face, and she was obviously perplexed. There was a moment of silence, and neither uttered a single word. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Hermione spoke up in a rather stiff voice. 'I—I'd better get going,' she mumbled, absentmindedly picking up her toiletries. She avoided Draco's gaze, and headed to the door. 'See you around.'

She threw him a nervous grin over her shoulder and sped out of the prefects' bathroom, leaving Draco all to himself. He sank down to the floor, and buried his face in shame. Week by week, every single thing seemed to get more and more mixed up. His _illusions_ were getting numerous, and it happened almost every single waking moment of his life.

'Ooh, that was quite interesting!' giggled a voice from the middle of the room. Draco looked up and jumped. There, at the edge of the marble bathtub, sat a pearly white ghost of a young teenage girl with thick glasses wearing an amused smile. 

'Wh-who are you?' Draco asked, immediately standing up. 'Where did _you_ come from?'

The ghost grinned and floated nearer to where he was. 'I'm Moaning Myrtle,' she said, 'and I usually live in the girls' bathroom on the second floor!'

'Moaning Myrtle… Hold on—I know you!' said Draco, 'Aren't you the one who was killed by the basilisk?'

Myrtle scowled. 'Yes,' she replied, 'But I prefer not to recall that _memorable_ moment of my life.'

Draco smirked. 

'I must say that I never saw Hermione that happy—'

'You know Hermione Granger?'

'Yes, I got to know her personally during her second year… she's actually quite nice, but I would _never_ admit that in front of her. That would just ruin my reputation as being lonely and antisocial.' Myrtle puffed up her chest proudly and crossed her legs. 'As I was saying, I've never seen Hermione that _dazed_ before you gave her that sweet little kiss of yours…' Myrtle crossed her arms and giggled, seeing how Draco's cheeks reddened by the second. 

Draco glared at her. 'You… saw everything?' he said hoarsely. He felt like strangling the ghost. 'Why didn't you _stop _us??'

'Well, it's not really my business, is it?' Myrtle retorted. 'Besides, you looked like you weren't _here_ anymore, if you know what I mean.'

'Say again?'

'You looked like you were in a completely different place and time… and _you_ were mumbling things about marrying Hermione, a ring—'

Draco had turned deaf and couldn't concentrate on what Myrtle was saying anymore. He was lost in thought, and his mind was all jumbled. What had just happened a while ago really _did_ happen! It wasn't just an illusion of some sort, it had taken place in reality. 

And he wasn't the only one who had experienced it. There was enough proof that Hermione shared this… event with him. 

Myrtle kept rambling on. 'And you suddenly leaned in and kissed her! It was all so—'

Draco cut her short. 'How about Hermione?' 

Myrtle blinked. 'Hermione?' she repeated. 'Well, she was acting the same way as you were… it was really funny—you were like performing in a play—'

But Draco had left the prefects' bathroom already. He didn't finish listening to Moaning Myrtle's account of what happened; he needed to find Hermione. He had come to a realization that she was somehow connected to everything that was happening to him for the past few months. 

He knew that everything would finally be clear once he got to confront her. He forgot all about his bath, and headed off back to the Slytherin dungeons. 

~*~*~

'Miss Granger, are you still with us?' Professor McGonagall's sharp voice cut Hermione's train of thought. 

She looked up immediately and stared at the professor. 'I—what—' she stuttered. 'What was the question, Professor?'

Everyone in class was staring at her, obviously surprised that she wasn't paying attention in Transfiguration for the very first time. Professor McGonagall stood still, quite startled with Hermione's lack of attention. 

'Will you please stand up and show your fellow classmates the proper way in transfiguring this vase into a rabbit?' she said, pointing to the scarlet vase on top of her table. 

Hermione nodded and came up front to the teacher's table. _Well, here goes,_ she thought nervously, taking out her wand. She raised it, tapped the vase twice, and said, _'Vasorrabetos!_'

The vase, for a brief second, melted into a red blob, and in the next second, it morphed into a furry small bunny. Hermione smiled triumphantly and faced the class, expecting applause and praise. 

Instead, however, there were giggles and laughter. Hermione blinked and faced Professor McGonagall. 'Is there anything wrong with what I did, Professor?' she asked worriedly.

Professor McGonagall however didn't retort quickly. She looked as if she was suppressing a smile, and Hermione frowned. She instead glanced at the bunny. At the sight of it, she squealed. 

The vase indeed was already a perfect rabbit; it's long ears, its fluffy tail, it's soft fur… the only problem was… it was still bright red, from the tip of its ears to its cotton tail.

'Oh no! This wasn't supposed to _happen!_' she exclaimed, fretting all about. Everyone now was laughing and Hermione's cheeks were as red as the rabbit. Professor McGonagall, however, remained unperturbed. 

'That—That was quite… well done, Miss Granger.' She said in a stiff voice. 'I would have expected better, though… well, you may go back to your seat.'

'No, Professor, I can do better—I promise—'

'That is not necessary.' 

Hermione opened her mouth to reply back, but McGonagall had already turned away and retransfigurated the rabbit into the scarlet vase. Hermione dragged her feet back to her seat, feeling the horrible pain of failure. _That's okay, Hermione,_ she consoled herself, _you were just distracted, that's all…_

Yes, she told herself, she was just distracted by the event that took place just hours ago in the prefects' bathroom…

'That's okay, Hermione,' Ron said, patting her on her back. 'It could've have happened to anyone—'

'It's _not_ okay! And it _doesn't_ just happen to _anyone!_'

'You'll still get the top marks in class,' Harry now joined in. 'After all, you're still the only one who can _actually_ do it.'

Hermione shook her head in shame. 'This wasn't _supposed_ to happen!' she wailed. 'I studied it _weeks_ ago!'

'Well, maybe you just forgot—'

Hermione smacked her head hardly and sank in her chair. She buried her head in her hands. Nothing could comfort her… nothing! This was all because of that kiss… all because of that incident! All because of—

__

Draco Malfoy, Hermione thought angrily, _I'm going to kill you!_

~*~*~

As much as Hermione desired nothing more but to strangle the Slytherin, she could not find the strength inside of her to look him straight in the eye. Everytime she did, she was reminded of the little event, and in a matter of seconds, she sped away in the opposite direction. 

Draco, however, wanted to grab any opportunity to talk to Hermione. He wanted to ask some important questions, but every time he walked up to her, she squealed in fright and ran away. He wondered why she did this… and in a minute, he found the right answer. The memory was still intact in her mind, and he had no reason to blame her.

One night, however, the two finally came face to face. It was their turn to patrol that evening right after dinner, and both met in the Entrance Hall. 

Hermione stayed two feet away from Draco, and avoided his gaze. She suddenly seemed to be so interested in her shoes, and she had no intention to look up at Draco. 

'Where shall we start this evening?' he asked quietly, putting his hands inside his pockets. 

'Fifth corridor,' Hermione muttered. She glanced at the grandfather clock that stood by the wall, and saw that it was only seven forty-five. _Shoot,_ she thought, _four more hours with him._

'Oh.' 

There was a moment of awkward silence, and neither said nothing. Noise coming from the Great Hall echoed throughout the castle, and Hermione bit her lip, not knowing what to say or do. Fortunately, Draco spoke up. 

'Well, shall we start?' He climbed two steps up and looked back at her. Hermione turned to face him, and nodded.

~*~*~

Their duties for the night were coming to an end, and Hermione couldn't help but feel extremely ecstatic. Neither had said anything ever since they had started patrolling, and now that the four hours were up, she wanted to jump for joy. 

Both reached the Entrance Hall once again, and stopped. 

'So, when's our next patrol?' Hermione asked, turning to face Draco.

'Thursday next week.'

'Oh, right.' Hermione nodded. 'So… I'll see you around?' 

Draco nodded in reply. 

'Well then… good night.'

'Hermione.'

'Yes?'

'About that morning…' 

Hermione froze. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she felt all warm and tingly inside. She remembered the feeling when she placed her lips on his, and she felt light-headed. 

She knew that he was going to laugh at her face… he was going to tease her, to taunt her… to say that she was hungry for him… she was scared to look up at his face and see his smirk. 

She knew there was only one thing to do. Hermione heaved a deep breath and finally looked up at Draco.

'I apologize!' 

She stared at him with a questioning gaze. Draco had said the precise thing at the same moment. He also looked at her. 

'Why are you sorry?' They said once again in unison.

'Because I kissed you!' 

Hermione squealed in fright and hissed, 'Sshh!' 

Draco turned away in embarrassment. There was silence, and both looked in another direction. The memory replayed inside Hermione's head, and she shook her head violently, trying to get the memory out of her. 

'We should forget about that, understand?' Hermione was now breathing heavily, and was glaring at Draco.

'Yes,' he nodded in agreement. 'I suppose we should do that.'

'Good.'

'Good.'

'Good night.'

Hermione turned around and walked up the stone steps. She had no intention of turning around to see if Draco was still there, watching her leave. She was burning inside, and the drowsiness that she was already feeling just a while ago had already disappeared.

When she finally reached the last step, someone had grabbed her wrist. _What the—_she thought, as she spun around. Draco held her wrist tightly and stared at her. 

'You know that something happened, right?' he asked. 

'What d'you mean??' Hermione was tempted to slap him hard on the cheek, but resisted it. 

"About the proposal—'

'No, I don't!' She knew that she should have said yes, but at the moment, she felt nothing but pure anger and frustration. She did not want to spend another minute with him, and she had no intention about staying up all night. 

Draco seemed determined to prove that she did know what he was talking about. 'Look at your ring!' 

And she did. She gazed down at it, expecting that it looked exactly like it usually did. 'See,' she said, thoroughly annoyed, 'there's nothing different with it—look—'

And she gasped. 

It wasn't the same ring her mother had given her. Instead, it was the diamond ring that the past Draco granted her…

Which only meant one thing. 

The illusion had happened for real.

~*~*~

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A/N: Aw, crap. That wasn't exactly what I expected as a _nice_ ending. So stupid really, don't you think? 

However, I do hope that you enjoyed the other parts of the story! I'm sorry that it isn't really that nice, but I'm really tired with school and I'm too uninspired to write. 

Anyway, REVIEW!!


	12. At the North Tower

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A/N: I am SO sorry if I made you wait!! I just had so many thing s to do school-related… exams came up two weeks ago, second quarter began, quizzes come pouring in, we're loaded with projects and activities… high school's pretty difficult… anyway…

As much as I'd like to thank all of you individually, I am unable to do so since it would take much of my time, and I'm leaving to practice for some presentation in a matter minutes, so please understand! You _do_ know yourselves, right? The ones who reviewed? I promise to thank all of you in the next chapter… in the meantime, I will just thank all of you as one whole group. 

Now this chapter doesn't really have any relevance… it just focuses on Draco and Hermione's relationship. You know, the one that's not related to their past. If you get what I mean… which probably you don't. This one's just to satisfy your fluffy-related needs… anyway, read to find out instead! 

~

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A LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

By Rage42

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Chapter Twelve: _At the North Tower_

~

The clock ticked away slowly as quiet came over the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione tapped her fingers anxiously, as she was waiting for midnight to strike. In front of her was a small round wooden table with books and parchment scattered on its surface. Harry and Ron were on either of her sides, finishing their work. 

"Hermione," Ron whined, "can't you _just_ let us copy your work so that we can _all_ sleep?" 

"No," she replied, snapping her book shut. She glared at him. "You know how much I am against cheating."

"Well then, don't think of it as _cheating_—think of it as _helping_ a friend!"

"That's _still_ considered cheating."

The grandfather clock in the Common Room suddenly rang. It echoed loudly, and Hermione whipped her head. _It's midnight_, she thought. _I'd better go!_

"Merlin's beard, we've still got to finish our Charms homework!" Harry crushed his feather quill and fell back on his chair. 

"For goodness' sake, fine then!" Hermione stood up impatiently. "I'll let you copy mine tomorrow morning!" She slung her bag over her shoulder and faced the two boys. She pointed to the staircase going up to their dormitory and said in a bossy voice, "Now, go up there and Get. Some. Sleep." 

Without any second thoughts, Harry and Ron obeyed her. They gathered all their things, shouted thanks to her and finally disappeared at the top of the staircase. Hermione sighed, and grabbed her cloak. She rushed to the portrait hole, and exited the Common Room hurriedly, for she was already late. 

~

"I'm here." Hermione tapped on the door thrice and pushed it open. She was finally at the North Tower, the place where she was supposed to be at twelve midnight sharp. She entered the circular room cautiously and closed the door behind her. 

"What took you so long?" A deep voice that undoubtedly belonged to a boy said. He sounded annoyed, and Hermione was aware that he was. She turned around and smiled apologetically to a dark figure behind her.

"Sorry, Draco." She took out her wand and lit the torches in the room with a single flick. The light revealed Draco Malfoy, leaning against the wall, looking peeved. Hermione dropped her things and sat down. "Harry and Ron needed help with their homework."

Draco sat down across her and crossed his arms. "And I thought Gryffindors were smart," he smirked. "Apparently they're not."

Hermione glared at him. "And I thought you couldn't get more annoying than you already are." She opened her bag and took out some worn out books. "I didn't come up here and meet you just to quarrel, Draco." 

"If I didn't _need_ your help, I wouldn't even _be_ here." Draco glared at her, and she at him. 

Hermione was burning inside as she flipped the book open and turned the pages angrily. _Of all people_, she thought, _why did it_ have _to be him??_

The only reason why she was up there with the person she hated the most was that he was looking for something she too was searching for: the past. It was clearly obvious that their own past was linked, somehow, to each other, and now, they were finding out why it was so. As much as Hermione hated being with Draco every single night at the North Tower, she knew that she just had to know why she always had these premonitions and visions about a young man who looked exactly like Draco.

"Did you find anything yet?" Draco suddenly asked. Hermione looked up to see him staring at her. She shook her head and focused on the book once more. 

"What's that book anyway?" he asked, interrupting Hermione again. He leaned close to her and touched the book.

Hermione froze. She had caught a whiff of his cologne, which smelled absolutely good, and made Draco even more masculine than he already was. "_A Guide to Premonitions and Visions,_" she replied stiffly. She clumsily turned the page and bent down to avoid Draco's scent. 

Hermione read silently. _Premonitions, which are often true, may or may happen immediately after a person receives it—_ She looked up and Draco was still staring at her. They were face to face, and Hermione felt her cheeks burning. At that very moment, the event in the prefects' bathroom replayed in her head. She glanced at his lips, and suddenly felt a sudden desire to touch them with her own… She remembered how, even if she hated to admit it, they were soft, and how much she enjoyed _kissing_ him, even if she was unconscious of what she was actually doing that morning…

She moved a centimeter closer to Draco's face… 

And much closer…

And at that minute wherein she was about to finally kiss him, they heard footsteps outside the room. There was a soft purr, and a man's croaky, bitter voice. 

"Filch!" Draco hissed. He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her up. 

They hid behind the door, and Hermione took out her wand. " _Invistivilito_," she whispered, and the books and everything they brought with them vanished off the floor. Draco put one arm around Hermione and made a gesture with his hand to keep quiet. Hermione nodded and leaned nearer to the wall. 

"Come, my sweet," Filch muttered. There was another purr, and the doorknob suddenly shook. 

Hermione's and Draco's eyes widened. Hermione felt Draco's grip around her tighten, and she knew he was scared of being found out. 

"I _know_ there're people coming up to the Tower every night," they heard Filch say, "All we've got to do, Mrs. Norris, is to surprise them and tell them off to whoever Head of House they're under!"

Hermione gulped. If Professor McGonagall ever knew about her nightly spree with _Draco Malfoy_, she knew that she'd be merciless. 

"Here we go!" Filch turned the doorknob. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. "AHA!" 

Hermione clutched Draco's robes tightly. They were going to be caught—there was no doubt about it—

"What??" They knew Filch was looking around the room, and apparently, to him, it was empty as a shell. "There ARE no PEOPLE??" 

Mrs. Norris mewed scathingly. Hermione heard Filch as he took one more step inside the room. He searched for any sign of humans, and Hermione prayed that they'd be spared. "I guess they didn't come tonight, Mrs. Norris," the caretaker said quite glumly. The door began to close and with a final thud of the door, Hermione and Draco were left alone once again in the North Tower.

"Bloody hell, that was close," Draco remarked. He had let go of her already, and Hermione, to her utmost surprise, was quite disappointed that he had. She liked the feel of his arm on her shoulder. 

"Thank Merlin Filch didn't find us." Hermione waved her wand, and instantly, the books that she had made invisible reappeared once again on the stone floor. She sat down and leaned on the wall. 

There was silence for a moment. 

But then, out of the blue, Draco suddenly laughed. 

"What?" Hermione asked, one of her eyebrows raised.

''I quite enjoyed that. Didn't you?"

"What do you mean, enjoyed? We almost got caught!"

"I thought you'd have enjoyed that. You're a Gryffindor, aren't you? You're supposed to be risk-takers, being _brave_ and all."

"But we could've been suspended, or worse, our Badges could've been taken away!"

"I can't believe you're the famous Potter's best friend. You're always out on adventures _every_ single year!"

Hermione stuck her tongue out. She crossed her arms and turned away. She hated it whenever Draco started off on a sickeningly annoying conversation with her. "I don't _even_ know why I always put up with you." 

Draco smirked, and leaned coolly on the stone wall. "Maybe it's because I'm drop dead gorgeous, handsome, witty, and irresistible, of course." 

"HA!" Hermione laughed. "You wish, Draco."

"What, you don't think I have any of those traits?" Draco had looked offended. He crawled towards Hermione and put his face inches near hers. 

Hermione felt a blush creeping to her cheeks. All of a sudden, she felt warm and was filled once again with a strong desire to kiss him… Up close, he _was_ gorgeous, more handsome than ever, and Hermione felt an urge to put her arms around him. Oddly, the feeling she got when she thought about this was strangely familiar… as if she already felt it before… 

She leaned in closer, and closer to Draco…

And before she could even come to her senses and stop herself…

She had already closed her eyes and kissed him. 

~

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A/N: So, was it okay? I'm pretty sure you didn't really enjoy it, as it is practically only one scene. But hey, at least you have one new fluffy chapter! Anyway, the thirteenth chapter might come late like this one did, so you'll have to wait patiently once more! Anyway, for the meantime, reread this if you like and REVIEW!!! 


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